Ewan Murray The Guardian,Monday 21 December 2009 21.08 GMTCraig Levein will be confirmed as the Scotland manager after the SFA agreed compensation with Dundee United. Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PACraig Levein will be named as Scotland's manager within 24 hours after holding discussions with the country's football association today. Levein, who will leave his post in charge of Dundee United, met the four members of the SFA's executive committee at an Edinburgh hotel. Those talks were successful, with finer details relating to Levein's role and contract terms expected to be finalised tomorrow.Compensation of ¡ê260,000 will be payable to United,Converse One Star, who were approached for their manager's services last Wednesday. Levein's salary with Scotland is believed to be higher than the ¡ê300,000 a year his predecessor, George Burley, was paid.United had hoped Levein would spurn the opportunity to move into international football at the relatively young age of 45 but, having had the exact details of the job explained to him, the former Hearts and Leicester City manager is apparently content with a temporary departure from the club game.The SFA initially earmarked 7February, the time of the draw for the qualifying stages of the 2012 European Championship, as the time by which to have Burley's replacement in place.However, because the news of its approach to United became public and given potential disruption to the club at a crucial time in their league season, it became impossible to lengthen the process beyond this week.Levein and Walter Smith were the SFA's two favoured candidates from the moment Burley was sacked last month. Smith,Manolo Blahnik Boots, the Rangers manager, promptly made it clear he had no desire to manage Scotland for a second time,Links Of Lodnon Sweetie, meaning Levein was the only man approached for the position.As part of his remit, the new manager will insist on a hands-on role throughout Scottish football. Levein has strong ideas relating to the grassroots level of the game and coaching structures, meaning he insisted any bureaucracy within the SFA should not prevent him from implementing such theories.Craig Brown,Jimmy Choo Wallets, a former Scotland manager, has dismissed the notion Levein will be frustrated by the role's lack of daily activity. The new manager's focus, Brown insists, should relate to taking the team to their first major finals since 1998."I think he is right to want to have an overall remit in charge of the football side of things," said Brown. "But coach education and player development are different from managing a team."He will want to go to every youth international and his job will be to look at the progress of these young lads to see how quickly he can get them into the national team. It is laudable that Craig wants that extra work,New Era Washington Nationals Hats, but make sure the priority is the national team,Specialty New Era Hats, qualify that team and the interest will take off in this country."United's 3-0 defeat to Rangers last Tuesday, then, seems set to have been Levein's last in charge at Tannadice. Two former United players, Derek McInnes and Michael O'Neill, are among the leading candidates to replace Levein along with Jimmy Calderwood and Paul Sturrock.
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